Prayer WOD

Inspired by CrossFit Faith's posts of Faith WODs, Prayer WODs is my way of integrating faith with fitness.  Here's the first Prayer WOD posting as a way to help improve my prayer life as much as CrossFit has helped improved my physical capabilties.  

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For the duration of 1 Hail Mary, perform each movement.  Prayer must be said in a steady, respectable pace.  Goal is to maintain movement throughout prayer, minimizing rest.  Offer up a "small sacrifice" during each round.  Rest 90s between each Hail Mary. 

1. Push ups
2. Sit ups
3. Air squats
4. Hand-stand holds (or HSPUs)
5. Hollow rocks
6. PU
7. SU
8. Air Sqt
9. HSPU or holds
10. HR

"Murph"

Previously known as "Body Armor":

1-mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 squats
(did it broken into 20 sets of 'Cindy' with 5-10-15 of the above movements)
1-mile run
All while wearing a 20-lb weight vest.

RX'd - 1hr 2 min 34 sec

Last time I did "Murph", it was with a 10-lb vest and I did not complete the pull-ups.

Lenten endeavours

During this years Lent, the CrossFit Games Open is concurrently in action. What does this mean for me? To combine the two. Might as well. Both involve a level of accepted, inevitable suffering (penance/sacrifice?). They both start with "C". Both are universally practiced; exceeding the boundaries of culture, race, and time. Both have made a change in my life.

I will offer up each week's competition WOD for various reasons, and update this post as the Games and Lent progresses.

For all WODs, I will inscribe +JMJ+ in front of me to remind me of why I am here and why I am an able body. All WODs will also be offered up for the poor souls in purgatory, especially those in most need of the Lord's mercy. In addition, other intentions shall also be named.

+ WOD 1: For those who have been hurt in relationships and have felt as if they cannot have hope in what else God has in store for them and their vocation; that they may be granted extra patience and maintain their faith in God.

+ WOD 2: For the unborn children who are not respected as human beings; for the mothers who are uncertain about fulfilling their pregnancy, that they may choose Life; for the fathers who are ignorant of the children they helped to bring into existence, that they may be filled with wisdom to shoulder their God-given responsibilities and duties; for the parent-less children, that their lives may be filled with Love; for the children who have lost their childhood, that they may possess a child-like hope in God who is always their Father; for Mother Mary, who unceasingly is our exemplar of how to be a real Woman, that she may say an extra prayer for those women who need a role model right now; and for the sake of true womanhood, that this world will emerge from the darkness that blinds the present day and allow us to raise our future to be wiser and holier.

+ WOD 3: For an increase of wisdom in my generation; that moral values are valued more and the Truth is sought more fervently.

+ WOD 4: For the pursuit of one's true vocation in life; that the path will be clearer from the earnest yearning for knowledge, wisdom, peace, and Truth; that the Lord's will be done always, no matter how frequent one falls off the straight and narrow path; and if one does, one shall never give up on the Lord. St. Patrick, please pray for us.

+ WOD 5: Here it is. Last one. But there's about 4 more weeks left of Lent. Nevertheless, the "fight" goes on. For Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Courage.

• Prudence - able to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time
• Justice - proper moderation between self-interest and the rights and needs of others
• Restraint or Temperance - practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation
• Courage or Fortitude - forbearance, endurance, and ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation

And lastly, for Purity of Heart.

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In CrossFit terms:
Prudence of judging my rest, when to work through the pain, and when to back off before injury can occur. Justice of moderating my self-frustration and remembering why I'm offering up my WODs during Lent. Temperance in controlling my anxiety, knowing I always get nervous, but keeping a "cool" demeanor, as well as not giving in to rest when I am able to continue. Fortitude in pushing through the pain when that moment comes, because they always do, and never giving up on proper technique.

My first CrossFit WOD was "Karen":

150 Wall ball shots for time.

I had to scale with a 10# ball. My form was terrible. This was 23 AUG 2010.

Yup, toss another A into the pail.

I got my results from the CrossFit Level-1 Trainer certification course and, lo and behold, I passed! A 42/45 ain't too baaaad. So now I'm just waiting for that certificate in the mail. If only undergraduate classes were this quick to earn. You really only apply what you study when you get out there in the Real World.

Clarification

So, I just got back from my first attendance of a CrossFit Level-1 trainer certification course and was informed that the movement from hanging on gymnastic rings to transitioning into a dip via a kipping motion was not a muscle-up, but in fact, a "get-up".

Sigh.

A muscle-up actually consists of a strict pull-up that transitions into a dip without any lower-body momentum. Bummer. Oh well, that just adds another point to my list of things to do before I'm 30. Let's do this.

Note the Day

I GOT MY FIRST MUSCLE UP.

8 August 2011




Now, I need to string 5 in a row. And let the torn skin heal.

(grip, grip)
(huff, whoosaah)
(pull, Valsalva maneuver, strain)
(repeat 2 more times)
(release slowly)
(fall and pant horrendously)

I just want to be able to do body-weight exercises without feeling like I'm about to die.


GOAL: MUSCLE UPS, 5 IN A ROW, BY DECEMBER. A S.M.A.R.T. goal.

CrossFit and Catholicism

Beginning tomorrow, it will be t-minus 10 days until the commencement of South Central Region's competition qualifiers toward the 2011 CrossFit Games Finals.

Yet another turn on the Road. Quite an exciting one, too. This will be the first time in a long time that I've been in a competitive state that is bigger than the last. It's a great opportunity for me to work toward something other than school, nay, a degree toward an eventual medical career. It's been my dream since I first heard and researched CrossFit to compete in the Games. I don't want to disappoint the team. My coach says I should consider competing as an individual. We'll see. I'd rather focus on this than the activities at school. I'd love to make it a career in and of itself, to compliment the one I'm destined for right now.

CrossFit is pretty much a lifestyle for some folks. I may be included, but I don't want to readily categorize unfairly. I do want to give credit to where it is due, though. The gym ("box" as it's endearingly called in the "Xfit" world) probably makes a big difference. I like the atmosphere there, and it's apparent since I've been with them for over a year (going on two).

This lifestyle is very similar to my Catholic Faith. There are truths which are constantly sought; truths about nutrition, about how we are "made" to operate as healthy human beings, truths about how we should handle our lives, basically. In my Faith, there too are Truths of how we should live our lives, of how we should manage a healthy well being spiritual and physically, and Truths which are constantly being sought (and which are bestowed upon on in various ways, both ordinarily and extra-ordinarily). There is a sense of discipline in both areas, yet a discipline that although seems constrictive to the average eye, is liberating. That's the difficult thing for most people to grasp, unfortunately. CrossFit isn't elitist; neither is Catholicism. Both want the best for the welfare of the community; CrossFit is more physically inclined, and Catholicism is more spiritually inclined. To me, that is an awesome complement! I do thank God for clearly answering that prayer I first asked of Him before I started my first week of CrossFit classes at Body Armor CrossFit: that I should be protected from deeply negative influences and that people there will just accept me as I am. No place is perfect on this earth, in a gym or in a church, but it is definitely providential to find a place on earth in which one can be happy.

I still pray that I will continue to be led into places where, although of narrow paths, will all still guide me toward pleasing the Lord for His sake, ad Christo per Mariam.

That Eric Church is playing on Pandora (Love Your Love the Most, "Carolina").

Blowing dust from the surfaces

Well, here I am again.

It's been ages since I last set foot within these walls of the boundary-lacking blogosphere. Well, actually, less than a year- though it feels longer. Currently Summer 2011. I am sitting here with coffee, I have no classes to attend (but still doing the school thing throughout the conventionally known non-academic season for others, who are not me- we got three freebie days from Physics), and with a slight bit of ennui, decided to check up on the mental musings of my past. I can still see things as early as 2006...which is kind of neat because I do laugh at the stuff I've written, some lame and some pretty cheeky, and it doesn't actually bring about any sadness that may come with reminiscing. I think a little update would be nice. A little then-and-now, so to speak.

Still "CrossFitting". Since August 2009, I've made considerable improvements. After referencing this post and this post:

Shoulder press: TBD

Back squat: 275 lbs

Deadlift: +250 lbs

Clean: 165 lbs

2-mile: haven't checked but running still sucks.

Calluses torn: lost count

Weight: really haven't checked

Ok, so I'm not very good at keeping these records organized but they're researchable to some extent. Hey, it's summer, and while I'm still a student, I don't want to think right now.

On the academic side, I am a double major towards baccalaureate degrees in Athletic Training and Rehabilitative Science. Not exactly pre-med degrees or degree tracks but some say I should highly consider it. At this point in life, I'd like to finally be free of traditional schooling and head into the "Real World"; join the work force and whatnot. Make a difference, really. I'll consider those food chemistry, kinesiology, and orthopedic surgery endeavors later on. Still, it's such a irritating waiting game. People my age these days (I think) have gone on to bigger and better things; earned their graduate degrees, dabbing into the professional world, having families, living life... I sometimes think I'm too old for where I am and that I am missing out on the experiences I could gather now for the future. It's like I'm re-living my early 20's...granted I only turned 25 not too long ago, but I ain't getting any younger! I'm such a lost, little soul. Must refocus.

On the health side, the CrossFit deal has been helping, as is manifested in strength gains. As with physical appearance, I still agnoize over what flubber I have left over. It shouldn't be a matter of aesthetics...but it is! Ugh. Lord, please increase my level of humility; help me to overcome this wasteful vanity. Actually, I think everyday increases my humility levels...probably should be careful for what I pray for but what can't hurt me can only make me stronger right?

Alright. By now I'm only falling into pits of rubbish thinking. With all this effort on writing a blog I should be diverting it into the prolific works of finishing social psychology assignments. Yes. Onward to productivity.

CFT 23 Dec 2009

CrossFit Total: 1 max rep each, then total all weights (lbs) for your score.

Shoulder/Overhead Press: 90
Back Squat: 200
Deadlift: 200
CFT: 490 (Advanced)

Whoo! If I can break 500, I think I have a shot at Elite, but I don't think I could deserve that if I can't even do a proper set of pull-ups, dips, and muscle-ups. Work in progress.

CF: The Board and other records

As of today,

Squats- 190 lbs
Overhead/Shoulder Press- 115 lbs
Clean- 115 lbs

2-mile run: 15:20 (7:40 mile)

Weight: 131 lbs
BF%: ~24%. Hm, that doesn't sound right. I used Athlete mode with the Tanita scale at the gym. This number would put me at about 31 lbs body fat, with only 100 lbs lean body mass. 18% BF for a female would find me at 118. To get there, I'd need to lose about 13 lbs, so roughly 10 lbs realistically. Can I do it in one month? It would take 2.5 lbs lost per week. According to the generally accepted 3500 calories per pound of body mass, I'd need to have a deficit of 8750 a week. Apparently, I need about 1500 calories to keep me alive, and I need to figure out how much more I need to function efficiently with HIT exercises. Still- whew. I certainly know starving won't do the trick so that is out of the question, but despite 3x week HIT workouts, I manage to maintain my 131. Ugh.

Calluses torn: at least 15.

Well, been going at it for 4 months now. It feels like forever, but at the same time, everytime I have to stop and catch my breath during a workout, it reminds me that I'm still a little green with high-intensity training. Looking forward to losing weight, efficient pull-ups, and finally muscle ups.

In other news, I do like how I lose my appetite after a workout. I don't like thinking about food during random hours in the day. I just like to enjoy it without feeling stuffed. However, that means that I will get voraciously (bored) hungry when I don't do anything. I feel it. It's like my body will just turn into goo as soon as I don't move. Yeck.

CF + 100 mi.

3 Oct 09: 40 mins, ?secs ~ 41 mins.
5 RFT (rounds for time):
1 lap - 400 m
30 box jumps
30 wall-ball shots // 14lb for females
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100-Miles: 1 mile
82 miles left.
9 weeks to go.